Deadline coming for Nevada law enforcement to wear body cams

By July 1, 2018, all members of law enforcement in Nevada who have contact with the public

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“We are ready to institute the program,” says Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong of the body camera deadline.

By the looks of his deputies, Carson City Sheriff’s Office is well on its way to complying with the new Nevada Law.

was signed into law in July 2017. The cameras, typically placed on an officer’s chest, record the audio and video of interaction with the public.

They have proven beneficial in getting information into what exactly happened in a particular event—sometimes to the detriment of law enforcement, sometimes to an officer’s benefit. But Sheriff Furlong says his deputies and their association have welcomed the technology.

“It will benefit us in many, many ways and have some challenges along with it. But it allows us to retrieve information, sometimes off of critical incidents, sometimes off of complaints,” says Sheriff Furlong.

Furlong says the department decided on the same system used by Nevada Highway Patrol troopers.

Approximately 90 body cameras have been purchased by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. The devices are paid for in part by a surcharge paid by local residents for 911 services.

While the body cameras aren’t cheap, the sheriff says the bigger expense is storing the material and wiring the department to accommodate the system. Under Nevada law, video from the cameras would be available for two weeks—longer depending upon the incident.

Law enforcement is allowed to delete the video 15 days after the recording.